Good Morning All,
Greetings from Oregon. We will be picking up our 21 escape In November and I have concerns about towing. We have a 16 Scamp and have throughly enjoyed it for the past five years, wonderful trailer and tows perfectly with nothing more than a friction sway bar.
Since we are upgrading, I would really appreciate input on a weight distribution hitch. We will be towing with a 2014 Honda Ridgeline. We met a wonderful couple in Arizona that had a 2012 Ridgeline, pulling a 21 escape and expressed they had no towing issues as long as the trailer was loaded correctly. I am aware that we are not a bundle of hp. However a moderate towing speed of 55mph will be the norm. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
The Glenn & Becky team

Hi Glen and Becky,
We are just completing a 2000 mile journey home after picking up our Escape 21 last month. Our tow vehicle is a Hyundai Santa Fe with a 5000 lbs tow rating (same as the Honda Ridgeline I think). We had Escape install the Pro Series Weight Distribution Hitch with no sway bar. The Escape 21 towed great behind our Santa Fe with no sway issues at all. I was worried that the Pro Series Weight Distribution hitch was going to be complicated and difficult to take on and off. The opposite was true. It was uncomplicated and very easy to take on and off. Obviously the full size trucks are stronger tow vehicles, but we were very pleased with how our Hyundai Santa Fe towed. We take it easy as we go (55 mph) and have no problem using the turn outs to let people pass. I would think you would want some type of weight distribution hitch but I doubt you need an extra sway bar. By the way we love our new Escape 21. We had zero problems with it on our long journey home.

While it can be a bit pricey, I absolutely swear by my Fastway E2 with the round bars. I have the 6000lb model, and it's about as easy as any equalizer hitch can be to set up, plus has built-in sway control and allows backing without disconnecting the bars. Honestly the only 'extra' I have to deal with is cranking the hitch jack down once to remove the bars, back down, un-hitch, then level; hitching up is the opposite sequence.

I have a Highlander and a 17A...I bit the bullet on the E2 and am very pleased with it. Mine has square bars. The orientation at ETI was super...he showed me the way with the bar/hook, and then the easy way, cranking up. I have had zero problems and I think the distributed weight makes the trailer feel "one with the car". Just another option that was worth the money by far.

__________________
--Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced older woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force. --Dorothy Sayers

Good Morning All,
Greetings from Oregon. We will be picking up our 21’ escape In November and I have concerns about towing. We have a 16’ Scamp and have throughly enjoyed it for the past five years, wonderful trailer and tows perfectly with nothing more than a friction sway bar.
Since we are upgrading, I would really appreciate input on a weight distribution hitch. We will be towing with a 2014 Honda Ridgeline. We met a wonderful couple in Arizona that had a 2012 Ridgeline, pulling a 21’ escape and expressed they had no towing issues as long as the trailer was loaded correctly. I am aware that we are not a bundle of hp. However a moderate towing speed of 55mph will be the norm. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
The Glenn & Becky team

Yay! Another Escape in Oregon. Our 21 tows much nicer than our 17 Casita LD did (both with WDH.)

Wow ! Thanks for all the responses.....it helps me make a solid decision.
Look forward to meeting some of you people on the road. We made it to Quartzsite last February with the Scamp. Plan to be there with the new Escape 2019.
Happy Trails,
The Glenn and Becky team

I have a Highlander and a 17A...I bit the bullet on the E2 and am very pleased with it. Mine has square bars. The orientation at ETI was super...he showed me the way with the bar/hook, and then the easy way, cranking up. I have had zero problems and I think the distributed weight makes the trailer feel "one with the car". Just another option that was worth the money by far.

Greetings. We just ordered a 19' escape. Tow Vehicle will be a 2017 Highlander XLE.
Do you recommend purchasing a weight distribution hitch with/without sway control? If yes do you recommend one that Escape sells or purchasing from a hitch company?? Also our 2017 has the fancy mirrors that detect cars in your blind spot. Will we need different side mirror add ons to see behind us or will be able to get by with the stock highlander mirrors??

Greetings. We just ordered a 19' escape. Tow Vehicle will be a 2017 Highlander XLE.
Do you recommend purchasing a weight distribution hitch with/without sway control? If yes do you recommend one that Escape sells or purchasing from a hitch company?? Also our 2017 has the fancy mirrors that detect cars in your blind spot. Will we need different side mirror add ons to see behind us or will be able to get by with the stock highlander mirrors??

Aloha, konanoff! Welcome to the world of Escape! There are many happy campers here who pull their 17s, 19s, and even 21s with a Highlander. I am sure they will give very useful information on your combination.